NSIS Portable Help Needed

Have you looked at the NSIS Portable that's already available on Smithtech's site since it doesn't need admin rights (AFAIK) and then make a more current version of that? (no need to reinvent the wheel). It doesn't backup keys in HKLM. Besides, the keys you're worried about are for the file associations which don't matter since you can drag/drop onto the NSIS GUI to compile or use the "Open" dialog.

Smithtech's version only backs up the following reg keys (and their subkeys):

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\NSIS]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\NSIS\MRU]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\NSIS\Symbols]

It seems the users setting were moved from HKLM to HKCU is version 2.24 and newer of NSIS. what version are you trying to make portable?

Read about that in this thread.

I don't know about the user rights code, I haven't needed to use it yet.
I'm still learning myself.

As for the reg keys, you can define them as a "||" delimited string and then loop through them to do what you need to.

!define REGKEYS "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\.nsh||\
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\.nsi||\
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\NSIS.Header||\
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\NSIS.Script||"

The loop code can be found in my Template, as well as the Portable Application Template in the forums.
My template is much less complicated as it doesn't encompass as much so you may want to start with it first.

All I ever use is makensisw.exe. It looks like it doesn't do much in HKLM and barely anything in CU. Would it make sense to consider just that?

If the portablized version handles parameters, you could put it in SendTo and have it compile scripts pretty easily ... or perhaps have it set up as a "run" add-on for Notepad++.

I didn't look at the CL version; maybe it does even less with the registry.

Oddly, I have an 85% finished NSIS Portable as well. I can post it and someone else can finish/maintain it if they'd like.

Thought I'd throw my 2c in here. NSIS, for as long as I've been using it, has not touched HKLM unless it is installed. Simply running the app only modifies HKCU.

I've got a launcher as well using Klonk's PAT.

If you're sure there's only going to be one REG file in that directory, it's pretty easy.

FindFirst $0 $1 "$INSTDIR\Data\settings\*.reg"
FindClose $0

4.9.5.9 FindFirst

user_var(handle output) user_var(filename output) filespec

Performs a search for 'filespec', placing the first file found in filename_output (a user variable). It also puts the handle of the search into handle_output (also a user variable). If no files are found, both outputs are set to empty, and the error flag is set. Best used with FindNext and FindClose. Note that the filename output is without path.

this

		ExecWait $EXECSTRING
		
	CheckRunning:
		Sleep 1000
		FindProcDLL::FindProc "${DEFAULTEXE}"                  
		StrCmp $R0 "1" CheckRunning

	CheckRunningMakensisw:
		Sleep 1000
		FindProcDLL::FindProc "makensisw.exe"                  
		StrCmp $R0 "1" CheckRunning
		
	CheckRunningzip2exe:
		Sleep 1000
		FindProcDLL::FindProc "zip2exe.exe"                  
		StrCmp $R0 "1" CheckRunning
		
	CheckRunningMakensis:
		Sleep 1000
		FindProcDLL::FindProc "makensis.exe"                  
		StrCmp $R0 "1" CheckRunning
;=== Put the settings file back
	Sleep 500
	CLean-Registry-Code
	Goto TheEnd

but I dont know the other method. So maybe the other one is better but the one I have is the one John uses in Sumatra

oh man, great work!
don't check for a few days and devtest 3 is up and running
gonna give it a shot